Stand for holding rolled sheet materials



Aug. 11, 1931. w. J. WEEKS I STAND FOR HOLDING ROLLED SHEET MATERIALS Filed' April 30. 1929 William J weei f '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNE Y.

Aug. 11,1931. w. J. WEEKS STAND FOR HOLDING ROLLED SHEET MATERIALS Filed April 30, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2 lzz lz'arrz J wee/65,

BY K) WW" ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 11, 1931 PATENT OFFICE ILLIAM .nwnnxs, F FLORENCE, SOUTHCAROLINA STAND onrrotnme ROLLED SHEET MATERIALS Application filed, April 30;

1929. Serial No. 359,363.

My invention relatesto a stand for hold-j numerals are employed to designate like parts ing-sheet material, which is wound into rolls, to permit of the convenient unwinding and measuring of the material from a selected roll, and to rewind the cut measured section. In accordance with my invention, I provide a stand embodying a frame carrying a rotatable reel. The reel is equipped with roll receivingfpockets. I preferably employ two annular sets of thesepockets. The pockets are also preferably formed in a length to correspond to the width ofthe rolled sheetniaterial to be held therein, whereby the free end of the roll may be engaged by the hand and the roll turned in a reverse direction to draw the free end of the cut material back into the pocket. The sheet material to be measured and cut passes from the selectedpocket over a measuring cylinder and is connected witha winding cylinder. The winding cyl inder and the open side of the poclzet from whichthe sheet material is being withdrawn, are disposed generally in the same plane and at an elevation beneath the elevation of the measuring cylinder, whereby the sheet material is caused to engage with substantially one-half of the surface of themeasuring cylinder, thereby eliminating any tendency of slippingor lost motion between the sheet ma-v terial and the measuring cylinder. A counter operates in conjunction with the measuring cylinder, whereby a record is made I of the length ofthe material cut. I preferably employ cord holding means arranged near the winding cylinder so that the cut sheet material may be tied-upon the winding cylinder and when removed from the winding cylinder will remain tied intothe woundcondition. An important feature of the invention is the simplicityof the construction, and the compact'arrangement of its parts, which are arranged relatively low and 'hence all parts are accessible to the operator. The frame of the stand is -preferably horizontal and is about the height of the ordinary store counter. This brings the top of the frame and the top ofthe reel at about theelevation of the waist of the average user.

J In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like throughout the same,

- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stand embodying my lnvention,

F gure 2 me plan vlew of the same, Figure 3 1s a transverse vertical section through the reel, taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2,

. Flgure 1s a longitudinalvert-ical section taken on line 1-4 of Figure 2, I

F igure is'a detailed section taken on line 55 of Figure 2,

Figure 6 IS a plan view of the winding cylinder,- and,

Figure7 is a transverse sectiontaken on line 77 ofFigure 6. i

" In the drawings, wherein for the'purpose of illustration, is shown a preferredembodiment of my lnvention, the numeral 10 designates a horlzontally arranged frame or support, includlng vertical sides 11, an end 12, and a top 13. The top 13 has an opening l iformed therein, as shown. I I

g The numeral 15 designates a reel which is cylindrical and embodies ends or heads 16 and 17, which may be formed of wood, metal, or any other suitable material. These heads are rigidly mounted upon a transverse horizontal shaft 18, suitably j ournaled in bearings 19 formed in the sides 11. The head 17 is provided with inner and outer annular sets of circular openings 20 and 21. The openings 21 pass through the periphery of the head 17 in the form of 'slots 22, producing segments 23 between the openings 22; The openings 20 have their outer sides leading into slots 24, which pass, radially and outwardly through the segments 23 and lead to the periphery'of the head 17 TheopeningsQO receive'pocket forming liners 25, formed of metalor the like and these liners extend radially through slots 24 and project overthe periphery of the segments 23, and areattache'd thereto by screws or the like. The opposite ends of the pocket liners 25 are held within flanges 26, corresponding in shape to the openings 20 and slots '24. The numeral 27 designates'pocketforming liners, the corresponding ends'of which are held within the openings 21and the opposite ends are heldwithin flanges'28 formed upon the head 16. The liners 27 also extend over the peripheries of the segments 23 and are attached thereto by screws or the like. It is thus seen that inner and outer annular sets of pockets are provided, having outwardly arranged slots or openings and these pockets are substantially circular in cross section so that sheet material, in a roll may be held therein and turned.

The end 12 has an opening to slidably receive a drawer 13, to hold a ball of cord or the like, and the cord pas-fies upwardly through an opening 14 in the top 13.

It is desired that the several roll receiving pockets be of substantially the same length as the roll of sheet material, to prevent longitudinal play of the rolled material, and also to retain the rolled material in a position whereby its outer end will be adjacent to the outer end of the pocket, whereby the rolled material may be conveniently engaged. by the hand and turned in a reverse direction, to draw the material back into the pocket after cutting. To accomplish this, I provide plugs 29, which are cylindrical and are adapted to be inserted into the pockets through their open ends and forced therein until they engage the head 16, at the closed end of the pockets. These plugs are made in graduated lengths, so that they will shorten the ava lable length of the pocket, to render the available length substantially the same as the width of the rolled material. Forinstance, if the reel is employed to hold screen wire, which is ordinarily wound in a roll, the reel is made in a length whereby the pockets would have a maximum available length of 48 inches which is the usual maximum width of screen wire, This screen wire is made in various smaller widths such as 46 inches, 44 inches, 42 inches, etc., and the pockets which are selected to hold the screen wire of a narrow width would be equipped with the plugs 29 of a suitable length. The pocket to receive the screen wire having a width of 46 inches would be equipped with a plug of 2 inches long and the other pockets equipped with plugs of corresponding length, as is ob.- v nes.

' Means are provided to turn the reel 15 to bring a selected pocket to. the operative discharge position, such means including a pinion 30, rigidly attached to the head 17, and th s p nio ise g d and ri y a Smaller pinion 31 rigidly mounted upon a horizontal shaft 32, journaled in the side 11 and this shaft is. turned by a crank 33, arranged upon ,the outer face of the side 11. Means are provided to lock the reel against turning movement, when shifted to the selected position and this means embodies a reciprocatory bolt 34, the free end of which is adapted to he moved into. and out of engagement with the teeth of the pinion 30. This bolt is preferably vertically arranged beneath the pinion 30, and slides within a stationary guide 35, and is urged upwardly by a compressible coil spring 36. The belt is shifted downwardly by the operator depressing a treadle 37 rigidly attached to its lower end, and projecting outwardly and laterally through a vertical slot 38 formed in the side 10, whereby the treadle is disposed eXteriorly of the side 10. It is thus seen that the locking means is automatic and as soon as it is released, it will hold the reel against turning movement. The locking means is arranged near the crank 33 and is actuated by the foot, whereby the operator may conveniently actuate the locking means and turn the crank to advance the reel.

The numeral 39 designates a winding element or cylinder, rigidly mounted upon a shaft 40 provided at one end with a crank 41 for turning the same, The ends of this shaft are adapted to be inserted within downwardly and rearwardly inclined slots 42, formed in the tops of the sides 10, and these slots lead into closed bearing openings 43. It is thus seen that the pull upon the sheet material being wound upon the winding cylinder will retain the shaft 40 in the bearing openings 43, but when the sheet material is cut, the shaft may be conveniently removed from the bearing openings by lifting the same forwardly and upwardly through the slots 42. The winding cylinder 39 is provided at one end with a resilient clip 44, carried by a sleeve 45, mounted upon the winding cylinder 39, at one end thereof. The numeral 46 designates a co-acting resilent clip, carried by a sleeve 47, which is slidablelongitudinally upon the cylinder 39, but can not'tur-n upon the same, as the sleeve 47 carries a depending finger 48, projecting into a longitudinal slot 49. The sheet material, such as screen wire, has its free end inserted beneath the holdin clips 44 and 46, which retains the free end secured to, the winding cylinder during the winding operation.

The numeral 50- designates a measuring cylinder carried by a horizontal shaft 51 retatabl'y supported by standards 52, carried by the sides 10 of the frame. This measuring cylinder is arranged at an elevation above the winding cylinder 39. and above the slot of the pocket from which the sheet material is to be withdrawn. The purpose of this arrangement of the measuring cylinder is to cause the sheet material in passing over the measuring cylinder to contact with a large area of the same, such as approximately onehalf of its periphery, thus avoiding slippage or lost motion between the measuringcylinder and the sheet material. I prefer to have the measuring cylinder 12 inches in circumference, although it may be made in any other graduated size. The measuring cylinder is provided at one end with an annular scale 53,

which is graduated in inches and the gradur ations run from 1 to 12, inclusive. The measuring cylinder 51 is so arranged that the top portion of its periphery is 12 inches from the top portion ofthe periphery of the winding cylinder 39, whereby when the sheet material is first passed over the measuring cylinder and attached .to the winding cylinder, it will be known that one foot of the material extends from the measuring cylinder to the winding cylinder, and upon rotation of the winding cylinder, the measuring (cylinder will be turned and the inches of the material wound upon the winding cylinder will be indicated in the scale 53.

I provide a counter graduated in feet, arranged adjacent to the scale 53, and this counter embodies a cylinder 54, provided upon its periphery with an annular scale 55. This scale is preferably graduated in feet and the graduations may run from 1 to 50 or they may run between other selected limits. The cylinder 54 is turned by a ratchet wheel 56 rigidly attached thereto and this ratchet wheel is arranged to be engaged by a pawl 57 pivoted upon a lever 58, which is pivoted upon the shaft 59, which rotatably supports the cylinder 54. The lever 58 projects radially beyond the cylinder 54, and is disposed in the path of travel of a pin 60- carried by the measuring cylinder'50 and arranged between 1 and 2 of the scale53. The ratchet wheel 56 will have 50 teeth, for the scale 54 is graduated in feet from 1 to 50, inclusive, and each time the measuring cylinder has made one complete revolution, to measure 12 inches, the cylinder 54 will be turned one step, to record the foot from the cylinder 50.

A stop pin 41 is removably mounted in an opening in the side 11, and is arranged in the path of travel of the crank 41, to prevent back turning of the winding cylinder, while the wire is being cut.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The several pockets of the rotatable reel 15 contain thewound wire fabric or other sheet material, to be measured, rewound, and cut. The operator depresses thetreadle 37, thus releasing the reel for turning movement and turns the crank 33, until the selected pocket is brought to the position near the measuring cylinder 50, but not moved beneath the same. The free end of the wire fabric may be engaged through the slot of the pocket, or if necessary, the operator may insert his hand into the open end of the pocket and sufficiently turn the roll of wire fabric to cause the free end to project through the slot. The operator then withdraws the short length of the wire fabric from the pocket so that the fabric will extend outwardly beyond the pocket and slightly above the measuring cylinder, and the reel is further turned to bring the slot of the selected pocket-in a lowered position beneath the measuring cylinder so that the slot is in substantially the same eleva'tion as the. winding cylinder 39; When thefreel is thus turned sothatthe'slot of the selected :pocket' is in substantially the same elevation as the top 13 ofthe frame or the winding? cylinder 39, the treadle 37, is released and thenb'olt 35will automatically lockthe reel against turning movement. The" wire fabric'is now drawn over the measuringcylinder 50; and attached to the winding cylinder 39, bypassing its free'end under the! resilient clips 44 and 46. The measuring-cylinder 50 is now set so that the numeral 1 of its scale is in the upper or reading position. I The crank 41- is now turned-until the desired length of wire fabric has :beeniwoundupon the cylinder 39, as indicated bythecounter and afterthis has'been accomplished,.the wire is cut adjacent to the windinglcyl'inder :50 by means of a knife, shears orthe like, and the cut end of the wire fabricis held in the hand and the winding cylinder turned until the wire fabric is entirely wound upon the cylinder 39. The cord is now tied about the wound wire fabric u on the winding cylinder, and after this, t e Winding cylinder is removed from the frame and the sleeve 47 shifted longitudinally from the wire fabric, whereby its end is freed from beneath the resilient clip 46 and the entire cut wound wire fabric may be removed from the cylinder 39 by shifting the same off of the end of the cylinder 39 adjacent to the sleeve 47. The treadle 37 may again be depressed and the reel 15 turned in the reverse direction to bring the selected pocket to an upper position, at which time the operator may insert his hand into the open end of the pocket to turn the roll of wire fabric in a reverse direction to draw the free end of the wire fabric into the pocket. The reel is again locked against turning movement.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subj oined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim A stand for holding rolled sheet material, comprising a relatively low horizontal frame, a horizontal reel rotatably mounted upon the frame near one end thereof, said reel having inner and outer annular sets of pockets, said reel having slots in its periphery leading into the outer pockets and slots in its periphery leading to the inner pockets, the slots to the inner pockets extending between the outer pockets, corresponding ends of the pockets being closed and their opposite ends open, the open end of each outer and inner pocket being uncovered by the frame when such pocket is shifted to a position near the top of the frame so that the rolled sheet may be engaged by V the hand inserted within such open end of the pocket, a driven horizontal roll, means to support the driven roll adjacent to the periphery of the reel and at an elevation substantiall above the axis of rotation of the reel, sai frame being provided outwardly of the side of the driven roll with openings, a winding roll, a'shaft for the winding roll inserted within the openings, the winding roll being arranged at an elevation beneath the driven roll, and means to lock the reel against rotation when it is turned to bring a slot of a selected pocket near and wholly beneath the driven roll, the arrangement being such that the sheet from either an inner or outer pocket will en age the major portion of the periphe of t e driven roll.

n testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM J. WEEKS. 

